A Sirius Dilemma
by Ren Trigger-Rose
Summary: During their seventh year, James is busy trying to woo a Lily that seemingly hates him, while Sirius is trying to get the attention of another girl. Two problems: she's a geek that doesn't seem to notice him, and she's also only a fourth year.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I attribute that to the genius known as J.K Rowling

CHAPTER 1

Sirius black slumped in a seat, his hands outstretched in front of him, grasping the ends of the Daily Profit. His face stayed blank as he read the headline:

_Farvay Family killed by Death Eaters _

He skimmed through the article, his feet resting on a large trunk in front of the couch. He despised the fact that these headlines and articles were beginning to become second nature to him. The Death Eaters had been causing havoc everywhere they went, and everyone lived in fear that they would be the next victims of such treachery.

A wizard who was Sirius's age walked into the room. His hair was jet black, and stuck out around his head in an untidy matter. He was lean, and he wore glasses in an attractive way that spoke of intelligence. The glasses weren't just for show, either. James Potter was intelligent…oh, and he was blind as a bat without them.

"Oy, Padfoot, you ready yet?" James asked.

Sirius put down the paper and faced his best friend. He raised his foot and brought it down on the trunk he had been using as a footrest.

"Got the trunk right here," Sirius answered.

"Good –mum's fussing that we're going to be late. She says we'll miss the train, and she said something about that not being a good way to start our seventh year," James explained.

Sirius snorted. "It'd be okay for me, but not for you, _Head Boy_."

"Ah, shut it," James snapped.

Sirius couldn't hold in his laughter. He found it hilarious that James, his best friend and partner in crime for the last six years, had risen up to the goodie two shoe's coveted position of Head Boy. At first he thought it was so ironic, but then he started to understand why James had been chosen.

Rule breaker, yes, but he was a damn good wizard.

Sirius himself was also incredibly talented with a wand, but there was only room for one Head Boy, and Sirius didn't fancy the job anyways. Too much responsibility and hard work –not that he didn't enjoy hard work. It just had to be something he enjoyed and was interested in. Like James, when Sirius set his mind to something, there were no limits as to what he could do.

Sirius had been living with James and his parents for a few months. He had always been different than his family. He had different views than they did, and after getting fed up with his family's sickening view of anyone associated with muggles, he finally rebelled by moving out of the house and in with the Potters. Sirius had been rebelling for years, but this was really the bit of rebellion that made his mother insanely angry. He heard that she even blasted his name off the great big family tree on the wall of their house. He wasn't sure if he should find that funny or not.

The Potter family had been extremely welcoming, and Sirius felt more like he was at home than he had his whole life. He belonged with people like the Potters. It had simply been cruel fate that he had been born into such an arrogant family.

A witch bustled into the room, looking extremely stressed. She ran a hand through her short black hair and started mumbling to herself, unaware of the boys in the room.

"…Going to be late…what will that look like? Oh sorry, headmaster, my son and his friend were too busy screwing off to –"

"Mum," James cut her mother off. "We're right here, and we're ready to go."

Mrs. Potter blushed scarlet. She turned away from her son and marched away from him, no doubt to get his father so they could leave for King's Cross. James rolled his eyes when she left the room as Sirius stood up.

Mr. Potter came stumbling into the room behind his wife. He was dressed in what he considered to be his best muggle attire –a mismatched suit and a polka dotted bowtie. Walking up to Sirius's trunk, he pulled out his wand and muttered "_Wingardium_ _Leviosa_."

Sirius's trunk rose in the air. Mrs. Potter used another levitation charm to lift James's trunk.

"Alright, boys, let's go," she announced.

Sirius and James exchanged looks and followed Mr. and Mrs. Potter out the door.

Outside there was a car waiting for them. It was something called a minivan by muggles. It would be great for their trunks and roomy enough for them, too. No one really wanted to use muggle transportation, but they didn't want to stand out as they went to King's Cross. Also, Mr. Potter had no idea how to drive, so he used a spell to make the car go the way of the road. He ushered the boys in.

The drive to King's Cross took about an hour. Mr. Potter sat in the driver's seat, pretending to drive. He huffed in annoyance as they sped down the road. Apparition would have been so much easier. His wife had refused that. She talked pleasantly about the boys' seventh year at Hogwarts, recapping on her seventh year. She doted proudly about her son. She considered being Head Boy to be a great honor. Mr. Potter just snorted, and James and Sirius laughed.

The minivan pulled into the parking lot of King's Cross. To any muggle, it parked beautifully, but the Potters and Sirius were unaware of something like that. With difficulty, they pulled their trunks free and started rolling them toward the entrance. People had to dodge the family with the ridiculously large trunks as they pushed through the crowd. Sirius couldn't help but smirk. He couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, and if all the rumors were true, seventh year was the best.

"Here we are," Mrs. Potter announced as they came upon the barrier between platforms nine and ten. "Platform nine and three quarters!"

She grabbed her husband's hand, and together they sprinted through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. No one noticed them disappear through the barrier, and James and Sirius had grown so accustomed to it that they blinked and missed it. Once James's parents were gone, they followed after them, pushing their trunks along and going straight into the barrier.

When they got on the other side, the Hogwarts Express greeted them. The train was huge, stretching backwards on the track several feet. It was scarlet with _Hogwarts_ _Express_ printed on the front, and smoke was shooting out of it. Students were getting on, and parents were hugging their children. Mr. and Mrs. Potter found James and Sirius and hugged them. Even though Sirius wasn't their actual son, they loved him as such. Sirius never got that kind of affection from his own mother.

"I want you to be good this year," Mrs. Potter said firmly. "You two are the best, but I don't want you wasting your talents on practical jokes. If I get one more letter from Hogwarts concerning you –"

"Those letters always talk about the great magic you use," Mr. Potter piped in. When his wife shot him a nasty look, he added quietly. "But even if you are using really good magic, you shouldn't be using it to break rules."

Mrs. Potter nodded contently. Then she gave them another hug, tears in her eyes. James hugged his mother back, but he didn't really understand the water works. Sirius on the other hand was pleased by it. It was nice to know that you were cared for.

"Bye mum, bye dad!" James called out as he boarded the train.

"See you later, Mr. Potter. Bye, Mrs. Potter!" Sirius shouted as he followed his best friend onto the train.

Once they were on board, James marched toward the special Head Boy and Girl compartment. Sirius followed behind him. As they walked down the train's corridor, people watched them in awe. Black and Potter were legends at Hogwarts. For being known as such arrogant rule breakers, it seemed like they could still do no wrong. Everyone wanted to be their friends.

"Alright, here's the compartment," James said, sliding the door open. "No one will care if you're in here, Padfoot."

"Really?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Well, probably, but when have we cared about rules?" James asked, an evil smile spreading on his face.

The two snickered and entered the compartment. They fell down in the seats and began talking.

"So, do you think Moony and Wormtail will find us here?" Sirius asked. "You did tell them that you became Head Boy, right?"

"Obviously," James replied dismissively. "They'll be here. This compartment is supposed to be only for the Head Boy and Girl, so hopefully the Head Girl this year won't be a prick about my friends in here."

"Doubt it. If she's the average girl, she'll be overjoyed to have all the Marauders in a small area with her –well, maybe not Wormtail, but you know what I mean." At that they laughed, and Sirius continued. "Speaking of girls, do you think you'll score with Evans this year? It's your last chance."

James looked out the window.

To James (and to many other boys), Lily Evans was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts. James wouldn't pass a chance to go on a date with her no matter what. He secretly adored her, but there was one problem with that.

Lily hated James.

"Forget me," James said, waving a hand. "Let's talk about your love life. Are you going to settle down with a girl, or are you going to bounce back and forth between them?"

Sirius shrugged. In one point of view, Sirius had never actually had a steady girlfriend during all his years at Hogwarts. No, he had had _girlfriends_. The handsome wizard with hauntingly good looks was known for seducing girls. The sad thing about it was that the girls knew he was doing this horrible act, and one of them cared. It was worth it to spend a night with the legendary Sirius Black.

"Ah, I don't know," Sirius answered. He stretched out. "It's just that there are no interesting girls. They're all nice, and definitely attractive, but I can't imagine spending every single minute of everyday with them. The only interesting one is Evans." James glared at him. "And I wouldn't think of taking my mate's girl. Nah, I like having more than one girlfriend. As long as the ladies don't mind, neither do I."

"_Man whore_," James muttered under his breath.

They got on the topic of who the Head Girl was again. They came up with the worst case scenarios and the most ridiculous stories. All of them ended in fits of laughter. After a little while, the compartment door began to slide open.

"It's her," James whispered, crossing his fingers. When the compartment door opened all the way, James's fingers uncrossed themselves and his face fell. "Damn it, Wormtail! I was expecting a girl –not you!"

In the doorway stood Peter Pettigrew, a short chubby boy with a pointed face that reminded people of a rat, and Remus Lupin, a lanky wizard with brown hair and a couple of scars crisscrossing his face.

"S-s-sorry, Prongs!" Pettigrew squeaked. He even had a voice that resembled a rat's.

"Relax, Wormtail," Sirius said. "Prongs was only joking."  
"No I wasn't," James shot in. "No offense, but I was expecting a pretty Head Girl, and I got you instead. Sorry, Wormtail, but you are not a pretty girl."

Sirius and Remus busted up laughing, but Pettigrew shifted his eyes around nervously, like he wasn't sure if he should laugh. After sobering from their laugh, Remus came into the compartment and took a seat on the other side of James and Sirius.

"Nice to see you guys again," Remus said cheerfully.

"Nice to see you again," Sirius and James chorused back.

The Marauders caught up on each other's summer breaks. They had all written to each other, but recapping everything in person was so much better. They went into full details of the events and roared with laughter at the end of each story. There was never a dull moment with the Marauders. Each of them was incredibly talented (save for Wormtail) and they were also quite the lookers. (Once again save for Wormtail.)

As they talked, the compartment door slid open again, and this time the Head Girl did enter.

"Oh no," she said faintly. "_Potter?_"

James stopped talking and looked at the doorway. His mouth fell open, as did all the other Marauders when they saw who was in the doorway.

Lily Evans stood there. She was attractive, and like James, she was incredibly talented at magic. The difference between her and James, though, was that she followed the rules with exactness. Lily was of medium height and had long, straight red hair that fell down her back. Her eyes were large and green and they glared at the Potter boy. Oh, she loathed him. To her he was a good for nothing git.

After the awkward silence, Sirius was the first to recover and he roared with laughter.

"Things are looking up for you, Prongs!" He laughed loudly. "You'll be seeing Evans all the time now!"

Lily flushed and imagined how miserable she'd be if she had to spend every moment with Potter. She pointed at Sirius.

"Why are you even in here?" She asked. "Why are all of you in here? This compartment is strictly reserved for Head Boy and Girl! None of you are supposed to be in here! What would the Headmaster say?"

James stood up and patted Lily on the back. She moved away from his touch like a cheetah's.

"Lily, it's alright," he said gently. She gave him a glare that could have killed when he referred to her by her first name. "Dumbledore will understand. Besides, rules are made to be broken. These guys don't mean any harm anyways."

"You expect me to believe that, Potter?" She spat. "You have been a troublemaker since you first set foot on Hogwarts soil! What was the Headmaster thinking when he appointed you with the incredibly serious task of Head Boy?"

"Ah come on, Evans," James said coolly. He ignored his friends burying their faces in their hands to stifle their laughter. "Will it really be that bad to spend so much time with me? Do you really hate me that much?"

"Yes! I do hate you, Potter! You're an arrogant jerk! You don't know anything about rules! Peeves would have been a better choice for a Head Boy!" She cried.

James pretended to flinch. "Come on…that was harsh."

Lily didn't seem to care about how harsh she sounded, though. She was absolutely outraged by the fact that her seventh year was going to be ruined by the asshole, James Potter. How could Dumbledore do this to her? Had she committed some heinous crime and this was the punishment?

James, on the other hand, thought that his seventh year had suddenly gotten a lot better. No matter how much Sirius made fun of him for having the ultimate goody two shoe position, he could handle it. He imagined walking around with Lily, patrolling the corridors on late nights. He had charmed every other girl in the school, and he wasn't going to give up on Lily. To him she was just a tough challenge.

And James Potter was always up for a challenge.

Sirius listened for a while to James and Lily argue with one another. He snickered behind his hand. It was definitely amusing. He wished the best for his friend, but damn, it sure was fun to listen to his attempts at wooing Lily. As he listened, he felt his stomach rumbled. He'd forgotten to eat breakfast, and he was starting to regret it.

Sirius stood up and let himself out. Only Remus and Pettigrew noticed, because James was busy with Lily. Sirius walked out onto the train's corridor to find the trolley. He knew that it would come to their compartment, but he couldn't be patient. His stomach growled and he cursed himself for not getting breakfast while he had the chance. He headed down one side, praying that the trolley had gone the way he was going.

Something caught Sirius's eye. He wasn't sure why it did. There was nothing spectacular about a text book falling from someone's arms. He watched as a girl bent down to pick it up. He smirked to himself, ready to help her. It wasn't that he was so gentlemanly; he just couldn't pass up an opportunity to appeal to a girl.

"Here, let me help you with that," he offered. Girls loved a gentlemanly wizard.

He knelt down to help her. He subtly shot a look at her, curious as to what girl this was. He might have already had a relationship with her. Apart from the younger girls (and Lily of course), Sirius had had relationships with most of the girls. This one was probably one of those girls, but he figured he'd try anyways.

The girl was not one of the girls Sirius had previously had a relationship with. She was definitely cute. Her hair was straight, brown, and it sent down to her shoulders. Her eyes were focused on the text book, and Sirius noticed they were hazel. She was wearing square glasses. A flush was spread across her cheeks like she was in awe that one of the famous Marauders had even noticed her. Sirius stood up, and she slowly rose with him. He handed her the book, but he couldn't help but realize how much shorter she was than him. He knew this girl, but he was drawing a blank. Sirius Black, the extremely talented wizard, was having difficulties remembering a girl's name.

"Thank you," she said shyly as she took the book from him.

Sirius smirked. Maybe he could get her name by talking to her for a few minutes. Though she was small and easy to make blush, she was still cute, and Sirius never left a cute girl.

"It's no problem," he replied.

He was extremely distracted by her. He needed to think of a way to remember her name.

"No, no, it was very nice of you," she squeaked nervously.

Then, before Sirius could say anything else, she disappeared through the compartment door.

He just stood there. He was used to girls blushing at his presence, but to run away from him while he was obviously trying to flirt was another story. Had he really just failed at talking to a girl?

His stomach was empty, but he didn't think it was from lack of food anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure that this already been established in the first chapter, but in case you forgot, I do not own Harry Potter. That belongs to the lovely and talented J.K Rowling.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Katharine Doyle's eyes were cast downward as she entered the compartment. She could still feel the warmth of her cheeks. Had Sirius Black really acknowledged her?

She had never been too good around men to begin with, but Sirius Black was out of her world. She stayed clear of the Marauders, because she figured she didn't measure up to them. If there was one thing she hated, it was being a nuisance. She always just assumed that they didn't want anything to do with her.

But she was starting to have different thoughts.

Sirius Black was extremely attractive. Girls would do just about anything to be with him. He had a dark sort of beauty about him; it was common with the Black family, but Sirius held himself differently than the others. While the others were attractive, they were seemingly gaunt and arrogant. Sirius was definitely arrogant, but he didn't view people as inferior because of their blood status. Sirius had grey eyes and was fairly tall with an athletic build. He wore his black hair longer than average, and his skin was pale. His face easily smirked, and Katharine figured it was his default expression. All in all, he was very handsome.

And he had talked to her.

She couldn't shake the thought as she pulled her knees up. She was the only one in her compartment. She had never really been too social. When she first started at Hogwarts, she made a promise to herself that she would do well in all of her classes. This promise got the better of her, and she spent mostly everyday studying. Her face was almost always buried in a book, and if she wasn't reading, she was probably practicing her spells.

She let her knees down and propped open the potions book that Sirius had handed her, but for once she wasn't really reading it. She had already read it three times over the summer anyways, so she figured it wouldn't be a very big deal if she didn't read it at that moment.

How was she supposed to act around Sirius Black? Maybe she was looking into this too far. He might have simply been acting nice around her. Sure, Sirius could come off as a little arrogant, but she never really saw him acting mean towards anyone. The only person she had ever seen him pick on was the Snape boy, and half the time he deserved that. Sirius was probably just being polite to her. He had just been walking down the train's corridor, and he saw that she needed help. That was all.

She decided to take her mind off of Sirius by reading her potions book. She wanted to become the best witch she could. She wouldn't be able to do that if she got caught up in boys, especially boys that probably had no interest in her.

Sirius Black completely forgot about finding the trolley, even when he passed it. The witch that pushed it even called out to him, but he pretended not to notice.

Why was that girl bothering him so much?

He was Sirius Black after all. He was the best. People idolized him, girls fell at his feet, people envied him, and he was one of the best wizards in the school. He had had several girls, so it really didn't matter if this one was interested in him or not. Besides, she wasn't _that_ attractive. He knew he could do much better than her.

But the more he thought about her, the more he got angry about his failed attempts at flirting. Sure she wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she was cute, and she was still a girl. He started envisioning her face, and suddenly she became the most attractive girl at Hogwarts. He might have just been obsessed with his failure, but she had become this beautiful witch who had completely ignored him.

Sirius put his face in his hands. Were his good looks failing him? Was he really not as talented as he believed himself to be?

It seemed that this nameless girl had struck a nerve on the great Sirius Black. No one in his seven years at Hogwarts had ever made Sirius doubt himself, and now there was this girl. All she had done was thank him for the help and bustle away, and yet he felt like she had personally slapped him across the face. He knew that was ridiculous to think that way, but there was a nagging in his head. For the first time, Sirius honestly felt like a failure.

He looked up at the ceiling. He set his jaw stubbornly. He wasn't the type to give up on anything. Even if it was just one girl, Sirius vowed to himself at that moment that he would go on at least one date with the girl.

Pulling the compartment door open to the special Head Boy and Girl compartment, he walked inside, completely ignoring his friends.

Sirius did not realize that Lily had left. James gaped at something invisible. Lily had finally stormed out in a rage, and James couldn't think of what had driven her to do it. He didn't feel like he had been anymore obnoxious than he usually was, and he really tried to hold back. He even bit his tongue a few times when jokes arose from the conversation.

"Don't feel bad," Remus said comfortingly. "She'll be back."

"But she stormed out of here!" James gasped. He turned to Sirius. "Lily hates me! I know she does!"

Sirius snorted.

"I thought you knew that already," he replied. "That's never stopped you from making a move on her before. Evans will be yours in no time. You just can't give up."

_I guess I know how James feels now when it comes to a girl completely ignoring you…_

Somewhere in the corner, Wormtail let out a pathetic whimper, and Sirius rolled his eyes. James leaned back in his seat and pouted, folding his arms like some spoiled first year, and Remus began reading a book he had with him. Sirius felt a strong urge to change the topic of conversation.

"So, Moony, when's the first full moon this year?" Sirius asked.

Remus grinned, but when he did so, Sirius was able to make out some heavy bags under his eyes.

"The twenty-fifth," he answered.

James let out a moan and turned to the two.

"That's ages away! What'll we do 'til then?" He asked.

Sirius snickered. "How about we learn some new hexes? I think Snivelus has figured out the regular regime. We should surprise him, considering this is our final year and all."

"Um, P-P-Padfoot," Wormtail stammered, joining in. "What if we get in trouble? My grandma may be mad if I get in trouble…"

"Seriously, Wormtail?" James snapped, pushing Sirius slightly out of the way, and Wormtail flinched. "We've been breaking rules since we first stepped foot inside the castle, and now you're wimping out on us? I thought you'd gain a little bit of the bravery you were supposed to have for being in Gryffindor."

"I just thought we'd be careful…" Wormtail replied as sweat began to glisten on his forehead. "I hear Snivelus has gotten wrapped up with some pretty mean people."

Sirius snorted. "What, the Death Eaters? That small group of students who've created a little club? Yeah, I always knew ol' Snivelus was a freak. Doesn't surprise me one bit, him being in Slytherin and all."

The Marauders had a good time discussing spells and hexes they could use to make Severus Snape's life miserable.

"You know, we could help him," James said, and Sirius snorted. "We could help out the whole school. All we need is a bit of shampoo. Then the castle won't stink as much."

"Nah, he'd probably melt if it came anywhere near him," Sirius replied, and Wormtail starting laughing in an annoying pitch, much like the rat he was. "Shut up, Wormtail!"

He stopped laughing after that but watched his friends with shining eyes.

Remus hadn't participated much in the conversation. He didn't make fun of Snape like the others, but he never really did anything to stop them either. He set his book down and looked out the window.

"I think we're arriving," Remus said to them.

All of a sudden, the compartment door flew open. Wormtail jumped, and they all took turns punching him. James looked up and turned red when he saw Lily standing there.

"You came back!" James cried, moving for her.

She stepped out of the way, and James ran straight into the wall. The others busted up laughing.

"Knock it off, Potter," Lily snapped. "Incase you've forgotten, there's more to being Head Boy than certain privileges. We're supposed to be helping the younger students get up to Hogwarts."

"Ah, but I thought Hagrid had that covered," he moaned.

"Hagrid takes care of the first years!" She snarled.

James's features lit up.

"Wait, does this mean I get to spend some time with you?" He asked her.

She didn't answer, but her cheeks did acquire a magnificent flush to them. James cheered and jumped up. He pulled on his cloak and put his badge on, and then he followed Lily out the door, grinning the whole time.

Inside the Great Hall, Sirius smirked when he noticed a group of fifth year girls turn to look at him. All of them blushed when his eye caught theirs. In fact, he had thought for a moment that they might faint. He pushed past them and took a seat next to Remus and Wormtail. He scanned the place for James. Head Boy duties couldn't have taken that long, could they?

As Sirius looked around, something caught his eye. There was a glimpse of brown hair that reminded him of that girl. Then, as if she had somehow managed to apperate inside Hogwarts, that girl did appear.

"Moony!" Sirius whispered urgently. "See that girl in the glasses? What's her name?"

Remus strained his neck to see her.

"That's Katharine Doyle," he answered. "Why do you care?"

Sirius felt his pale skin burn.

"I don't," he quickly defended himself. "I was just curious."

Merlin's beard! How on earth had he forgotten that girl's name? As soon as Remus told him, he wanted to punch himself. He knew that! He saw that according to her robes, she was in Gryffindor too. Now he really felt like an idiot.

Chatter filled the Great Hall, and students happily talked about the feast. Sirius's ears registered the conversations around him as a simple buzz. He was too distracted by the girl, Katharine, to really listen. He studied her as she buried her face in her book. Some girls around her started talking to her, and she put the book down, but Sirius was sure he saw her eyes flicker with disappointment. The girls began talking, and he actually yearned to know what they were speaking about.

When Dumbledore walked up to the front, silence fell, and Sirius fell back in his seat.

_Get a hold of yourself, Padfoot!_ He mentally cried. _If you're so concerned about her, then take her out. She's not gonna say no!_

But the more he thought about it, the more he wondered. She didn't seem like the type of girl that was really into relationships. All he'd seen of her had to do with books. Maybe she had no interest in doing anything with him. When he considered this possibility, he almost felt sick. He was Sirius Black –girls fell for him. Girls dreamed about him…and then there was this one girl!

"Padfoot," someone whispered, and he turned to see James smiling.

"Where'd you come from?" Sirius asked.

"Just got done with my Head Boy duties," James answered. "Gotta help out after the feast, though. I'm not complaining –more time with Lily."

Sirius experienced an unfamiliar pang. James knew he had less of a chance getting with Lily than Snape had of becoming a star Quiditch player, and yet he still pursued her. If he could chase after Lily, then why couldn't he chase after Doyle? If it was really bothering him so much, then why couldn't he just date her and get over with it?

Professor Dumbledore was in the middle of his speech. It was the first time Sirius hadn't really listened to his welcome. Their headmaster said something that caught Sirius's interest, though.

"…We are in danger," Dumbledore was saying. "Indescribably horrid things are happening because of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. I would extort all you to stick together and fight for what you know to be right." His half moon spectacles lit up because of a nearby candle; Dumbledore's eyes flashed. "Hogwarts is home to great witches and wizards, good witches and wizards. It would grieve me more than I can say to lose one of you to the Death Eaters, both physically and mentally. Look after each other. Do not question what you know is right."

There was a somber silence amongst the students. Sirius noticed bitterly that the only people who didn't seem impressed with Dumbledore's speech were the Slytherins. He was so glad he was the oddball of his family.

Dumbledore smiled, and the room seemed to brighten.

"And now, my fellow teachers and students, we eat!" He announced brightly.

The empty plates and platters of food were instantly filled with all sorts of delicious foods. Steak, potatoes, raspberry tarts, chicken legs, broccoli, cakes, and anything else that any human would consider tasty adorned the tables.

Sirius, James, Remus, and Wormtail all talked with each other as they ate. Sirius was glad that the food distracted him from the Doyle girl. During the meal, James tried to sneak peeks at Lily, but she purposely ignored him. The others laughed at him for it. All in all, Sirius was enjoying himself. As far as he was concerned, if things continued on like this, then that girl would be out of his mind.

"Mr. Black," said a soft voice.

He wondered who in the world would be referring to him as "Mr. Black". Was it a teacher?

When he turned to see who it was, he nearly spat out his mouthful of food.

Standing there, looking slightly nervous, was Katharine Doyle.

"Please, I was just wondering if I could take some of the pudding. We're all out on our side of the table, and some of the girls wanted some," she said. Her voice was soft like she had a hard time talking to people.

Sirius noted that she was doing this for the others. Did that mean she would do anything to please people? Even let them walk all over her?

Regaining himself, Sirius passed the bowl of pudding. "Go ahead. We're done with it here." He sourly realized that her facial expression didn't seem to change as his fingers brushed against hers. "You know, it really isn't necessary to call me Mr. Black. You sound like Professor Binns when you talk like that."

At those words, he saw that she turned bright red. Then she scurried away without another word.

His face fell.

Why did he, Sirius Black, feel like he had failed twice in one day?


	3. Chapter 3

**You know the drill –Harry Potter is owned by the amazing Jo Rowling. Obvious things you don't recognize are from my imagination. I worked them into her amazing tales.**

Lily Evans was excited to see her friends after the summer. They congratulated her on becoming Head Girl over and over again. At first she was glad for the compliments and thought them to be nice, but after awhile, she thought they were becoming old. She desperately wanted to change the subject, and when an opportunity presented itself, that's exactly what she did.

"We're not gonna be beaten this year by Slytherin," she said, waving a hand. "I don't think I could handle it if they won the House Cup."

Her friends exchanged dark looks. Lily scanned the Slytherin table, and her eyes fell upon her old friend Severus. Her chest got a sudden squeeze, but she ignored the feeling.

"Lils, who cares if we win or not?" Lauren, a good friend of Lily's said. "This is our seventh year. We're supposed to have fun."

Whereas Lily was very serious about school, Lauren was not. In fact, Lauren had only scraped a few OWLs in their fifth year. Lily had passed everything with flying colors, and, much to her despair, so had James Potter.

"No, Lauren, this is a time where we prepare for the future. Plus, I have my Head Girl duties. Dumbledore entrusted me with a very important job." After saying that, Lily's eyes darkened. "And you forget who's Head Boy. I'm gonna have to work extra hard to keep him in line and not let him abuse his new power."

The girls around her snickered.

"Ah, but Potter really is cute," Lauren cooed.

Sometimes people wondered how Lily and her had become such good friends.

"Oh, sure he's attractive, but he's a total git," Lily said in response. "He's got the biggest head in the entire school too." At that, she shot him a look and quickly turned away when she saw he was smiling at her. "Sometimes I wish someone would beat him so his head could deflate some."

"How about you deflate it?" Lauren suggested.

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"You guys are gonna be alone together a lot," Lauren continued, and Lily shuddered. "Learn his weaknesses, and then use them against him."

Lily frowned. "That's low. I think I'm above doing something so cruel."

Lauren smirked.

"Lily, hun, you're defending James Potter. You don't want to hurt him, do you?" She asked.

At those words, Lily felt like her red hair had leaked into her face. Lauren couldn't have been more wrong. She hated Potter. In fact, studying someone's weaknesses seemed like the sort of thing he'd do. She wasn't about to fall to his level.

"It has nothing to do with him being Potter," she snapped. "I'm just trying to take the high ground."

Lauren smiled and stretched out her arms. Then she pushed her plate away from her.

"Ah, James is a jerk, and he's arrogant, but he has good intentions. I actually think he's calmed down a lot recently. You know, have you seen him yet this year hex Snape just for the heck of it?" She asked.

Lily also discarded her plate, but she glowered at her friend.

"That's because the term just started today," she hissed. "You don't know Potter like I do. He doesn't constantly bother you in hopes of getting a date like he does me. Sometimes I wonder why he hasn't just given up. He can't be so stuffed that he actually thinks he's getting anywhere with me."

"Oh, Lily, what if he does get somewhere with you, though? You're not bringing in the fact that you're going to be alone together a lot into the equations. You may get to know the real James Potter, and you may find out that he's just your type."

Her friend's words made her want to be sick. She snuck a peak at Potter again, just hoping he wouldn't see her. Luckily for her, he was busy talking to Sirius. The two were in a very animated conversation. She watched them for a while, and she saw that they were using their fingers to make their noses look bigger and crooked. That horrible squeeze took control of her chest once again.

Why was she getting upset? Who really cared if they made fun of Severus? It wasn't like they were friends anymore. Severus had joined up with his freaky little Death Eater friends, and he had also called her a mudblood that one time. Why did it bother her that Potter and his pals were mocking him?

But as she tried to reason with herself, Lily only felt worse.

Sirius thought he had been doing a good job pretending to be interested in the conversation around him. He simply nodded when Wormtail talked about something stupid. This was strange, because usually Sirius would have laughed at him by now. The only person who recognized the problem was James.

"What's with you, Padfoot?" James whispered as Remus began talking with a fellow classmate. Wormtail was scarfing down his food, too engaged with that to pay attention. "You've seem a little off since we got here."

Sirius had told James everything since they were eleven. James knew him better than anyone else in the world, and yet he didn't feel like sharing his problems with him just this once.

"Um…see those girls over there?" Sirius asked, pointing at the group of girls that included Doyle. "What year are they in?"

"Why? Are you mad because you haven't slept with any of them yet?" James snickered. When he saw Sirius's face, he held up his hands. "Only joking, mate! Let's see, that girl over there is Harter. She has an older sister in Ravenclaw that I took out on a date once. She said her sister and her were three years apart, so I'd say we were looking at a group of fourth years."

For the second time that night, Sirius almost spat out his food.

"_Fourth years?_" He gasped. "Are you sure? They look older than that!"

James shrugged. "I'm pretty sure. I also recognize another one of the girls. She's a fourth year for sure."

"What about the girl in the glasses? What year is she in?" Sirius asked urgently.

"Katharine Doyle? I know for a fact that she's a fourth year. I've never talked to her, but she caught my interest when I heard McGonagall talk about her once. She's not too sociable, but McGonagall said that her marks were spectacular. In fact, they were so good that she said she could probably take fifth or sixth year courses now. I guess in the end the staff figured she should stay in her regular classes, though. I hear she takes a few extra advanced courses."

"Really? Why didn't I hear about this?" Sirius inquired.

"Because this was two years ago. She was a second year, and twelve or thirteen year olds didn't really grab your attention," James replied with a smirk.

Sirius ignored his comment. "I wonder how she got so smart."

"Look at her. She has her nose in a book all the time. If you find a time where she isn't studying, then I'll kiss the giant squid. People try to befriend her, and she certainly seems nice enough, but she naturally pushes them away so that she can keep doing her studies. Nothing else matters to her."

"What if we tried to befriend her…?"

"Padfoot, my friend, it wouldn't even surprise me if she had never heard of the Marauders. She's that oblivious to the rest of the school. I don't think she even comes to half the Quiditch games."

Sirius's stomach dropped. Was there really a girl who had never heard of him before? He stole a glance at her, and sure enough, she had her face hidden in her book again. The book was for advanced potion making –it was a N.E.W.T leveled book. Was she using that book for a little bit of _light_ reading?

James finished his meal and got to his feet.

"I gotta go," he said. "Lily and I have work to do. See you around, mate."

He flashed Sirius a smile before hurrying off to the other side of the table to get Lily. When James was gone, Dumbledore rose to his feet, and the dishes were clean in an instant. He then wished all the students good night and bid them off to bed. Sirius, scowling to himself, got up with the others and followed them out the door. Even though James wasn't with him, he began to enjoy himself with talking to Remus and Wormtail.

Katharine felt like she hadn't read enough from her book when the Headmaster called for bedtime. Sure, she had read it all the way from London to Hogwarts, and she also read it during most of dinner, but was that really enough?

She sighed as she reached up to take off her glasses. She grimaced when she felt a headache coming on. She was used to these. She loved reading, but staring at a page for several hours gave her a headache. She put her glasses back on and went to follow the others back to the girls dormitory. She could get some more reading and studying in before bed and hopefully during breakfast.

Katharine may have been small due to her lack of appetite. It wasn't that she purposely refused to eat –she was just always studying, and that included studying at meal times too. She knew she was given strange looks for always having a book, but she didn't care. Her studies were way too important to her to really pay much attention to what the others had to say about her.

Ever since she was a little girl, her extended family had doubted that she would have enough magic to even be accepted into Hogwarts. Her father had been in Gryffindor like her, and he came from a large family of very skilled witches and wizards. Everyone expected a lot from him, but he never quite acquired the same talent for wandwork that his family had. Then, after he left Hogwarts, he fell in love with a woman who just happened to be a squib. This caused an uproar in the family. Whereas her family certainly wasn't over obsessed with blood purity like the Slytherins were, they were still disappointed that their son had married someone without any magical ability. They viewed it as a disgrace to the family name.

Katharine often looked at it with mixed feelings. Her family strongly disagreed with the way the Slytherins treated others, and yet, in a way, they were also looking down on others.

Being the daughter of a less than efficient wizard and a squib made people wonder if Katharine was going to have any magical blood in her. While she was growing up, she would often hear the older generations discussing what they would do with her if she wasn't allowed into Hogwarts. They often spoke of these things in front of her, and they thought she didn't understand what they were talking about, but she did.

Her cousins also knew, and during family get togethers, she was always pushed aside and referred to as "the squib" by the other kids. Their taunts stayed with her throughout her childhood, and she believed that she wouldn't be going to Hogwarts. Whenever magical things happened around her, she always attributed it to coincidence or perhaps the other kids' magic working nearby her.

But, much to everyone's surprise, when she turned eleven, she got a letter to attend Hogwarts.

This news overjoyed her and her parents, but there was still much murmuring in the family. They wondered if Hogwarts had made a mistake and continued to doubt whether or not she'd be able to keep up in classes. It was because of this that Katharine became obsessive with learning as much magic as she could and proving them all wrong.

As she thought of her past, she felt tears fill her eyes. Covering her face with her book so no one could see, she wiped her eyes on her robe sleeve. _It does no good to feel sorry for yourself_, she told herself. She had learned from a young age that people who constantly moped were often left in the dust. If you wanted to improve at something, you had to work at it.

She realized that she had fallen slightly behind with the group. She hurried forward to catch up with them. The last thing she wanted was to be caught by the grumpy caretaker. It seemed like a job requirement at Hogwarts to be ill tempered if you were going to become one.

Her body slammed into something hard, and she fell backwards, hitting the ground in a painful heap. Her book flew out of her hands, and she saw that she had run directly into a person's back. The person turned, and she quickly readjusted her skirt to preserve her modesty. She was about to mutter an apology, but then she saw who the person was.

Sirius Black.

Not again! This was the third encounter she had had with him since the term started! Was he doing this to tease her? She knew for a fact she wasn't his type of girl. Sure, she had looked at him from afar a few times and smiled to herself, but she knew it was all just wistful thinking. Now she was beginning to think that not only was she not his type, but that he was going out of his way to laugh at her. Maybe he got bored with the Snape boy and needed someone else to pick on. Who better to do that to than the bookworm fourth year?

"Oh!" She squeaked. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Black! Please forgive me!"

He raised one eyebrow and held out a hand for her to take. She looked at it for a while like it was some poisonous plant found in Herbology.

"I'm trying to help you up," Sirius said. She thought his deep voice sounded slightly annoyed.

She hesitantly reached out and took his hand. Then he pulled her to her feet. As he did so, she wondered if her face was on fire. She also noticed how easy it was for him to lift her –no doubt about it, Sirius Black was very strong. After picking her up, he knelt down to grab her book. He looked at the title.

"Doing a little bit of advanced potions, eh?" He said, sounding slightly amused.

"I need to learn all I can!" she squeaked. "I need to be prepared for the real world after I leave Hogwarts!"

Sirius eyed her in a certain way she couldn't quite decipher. It almost looked like interest, but she wasn't going to fool herself.

"Your name's Doyle, right?" He said, and she quickly nodded. "Katharine Doyle? I heard that you're the smartest in your year. Maybe you could even rival the fifth year students. It makes me wonder…"

Her feet felt cold and empty –she thought that all the blood had risen to her face.

"But you're the best wizard here, Sirius!" She said quickly. Then she shut her mouth. She had just called him by his first name! She knew she didn't have the right to do that! She knew she wasn't good enough!

But this seemed to please Sirius.

"I was beginning to think you didn't know my name," he said with a brilliant smile. "You know, I wouldn't be against studying sometime in the dorm. We could help each other study."

"What about your friend Potter?"

"Trust me; Potter is gonna be a bit busy this year chasing after Lily. I'm sure to have some time to myself."

Her whole world felt like it was turning upside down. Ever since she started at Hogwarts, she had dedicated her life to studying. Now the famous Sirius Black was actually acting interested in her. When she looked at him, she almost melted, but then a nagging voice entered her head.

_He's arrogant! Lily told you about him once! Him and Potter both are jerks, and Black is known for dating girls and then dropping 'em like flies!_

But when she thought more on it, it wasn't like he was asking her out. He was asking her if she wanted to study. Would there really be any harm in doing something so innocent? She could actually learn quite a bit from him. She should seize the opportunity to be tutored by one of the most brilliant minds in the school. This could have been the opportunity of a lifetime, actually…

"I…I…" she stumbled over her words. "I don't know, Mr. Black… I'll have to see…"

And with that, she apologized once more and ran off, leaving behind (though she didn't know it) a very distraught Sirius Black.


End file.
